BIOTROPICA JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR TROPICAL BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION CHECKLIST FOR PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS (updated 26 March 2007) Online submission and review of manuscripts is mandatory effective 1 st January 2005. Please format your paper according to these instructions and then go to the following website to submit your manuscript (http://www.mc.manuscriptcentral.com/bitr). Contact the BIOTROPICA Office for assistance if you are unable to submit your manuscript via Manuscript Central (biotropica@env.ethz.ch). Authors are requested to provide a cover letter that details the novelty, relevance and implications of their work, and a brief explanation of the suitability of the work for BIOTROPICA. The number of words in the manuscript should also be given in the cover letter. I. General Instructions Publication must be in English, but second abstract in other languages (such as Spanish, French, Portuguese, Hindi, Arabic, Chinese etc.) may be published as Online Supplementary Material. BIOTROPICA offers assistance in editing manuscripts if this is required (see English Editorial Assistance below). Second abstracts will not be copy-edited and the author(s) must take full responsibility for content and quality. Manuscripts may be submitted in the following categories, based on these suggested word limits: Paper (up to 5000 words) Review (up to 8000 words) Commentary (up to 2000 words) Short Communication (up to 2500 words) Use 8.5" x 11" page size (letter size). Double space everything, including tables, figure legends, abstract, and literature cited. Use a 1" margin on all sides. Align left. Avoid hyphens or dashes at ends of lines; do not divide a word at the end of a line. Use standard 12 point type (Times New Roman). Indent all but the first paragraph of each section. Use italics instead of underline throughout. Italicize non-english words such as e.g., i.e., et al., cf., ca, n.b., post-hoc, and sensu (the exceptions being vs. and etc. ). Include page number in the centre of all pages. Do use line numbering starting on each page. Cite each figure and table in the text. Tables and figures must be numbered in the order in which they are cited in the text. Use these abbreviations: yr (singular & plural), mo, wk, d, h, min, sec, diam, km, cm, mm, ha, kg, g, L, g/m 2 For units, avoid use of negative numbers as superscripts: use the notation /m 2 rather than m -2. Write out other abbreviations the first time they are used in the text; abbreviate thereafter: "El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)..." Numbers: Write out one to ten unless a measurement (e.g., four trees, 6 mm, 35 sites, 7 yr, 10 5 m, > 7 m, ± SE) or in combination with other numbers (e.g., 5 bees and 12 wasps). Use a comma as a separator in numbers with more than four digits (i.e., 1000, but 10,000); use decimal points as in 0.13; 21 C (no spaces); use dashes to indicate a set location of a given size (e.g., 1-ha plot).
II. Spell out percent except when used in parentheses (20%) and for 95% CI. Statistical abbreviations: Use italics for P, N, t, F, R 2, r, G, U, N, χ 2 (italics, superscripts non-italics); but use roman for: df, SD, SE, SEM, CI, two-way ANOVA, ns Dates: 10 December 1997; Times: 0930 h, 2130 h Latitude and Longitude are expressed as: 10 34 21 N, 14 26 12 W Above sea level is expressed as: asl Regions: SE Asia, UK (no periods), but note that U.S.A. includes periods. Geographical place names should use the English spelling in the text (Zurich, Florence, Brazil), but authors may use their preferred spelling when listing their affiliation (Zürich, Firenze, Brasil). Lists in the text should follow the style: : (1) ; (2) ; and (3), as in, The aims of the study were to: (1) evaluate pollination success in Medusagyne oppositifolia; (2) quantify gene flow between populations; and (3) score seed set. Each reference cited in text must be listed in the Literature Cited section, and vice versa. Double check for consistency, spelling and details of publication, including city and country of publisher. For manuscripts ACCEPTED for publication but not yet published, cite as Yaz (in press) or (Yaz, in press). Materials already published online can be cited using the digital object identifier (doi) Literature citations in the text are as follows: One author: Yaz (1992) or (Yaz 1992) Two authors: Yaz and Ramirez (1992); (Yaz & Ramirez 1992) Three or more authors: Yaz et al. (1992), but include ALL authors in the literature cited section. Cite unpublished materials or papers not in press as (J. Yaz, pers. obs.) or (J. Yaz, unpublished data). Initials and last name must be provided. In prep or submitted are NOT acceptable, and we encourage authors not to use pers. obs. or unpublished data unless absolutely necessary. Personal communications are cited as (K. A. Liston, pers. comm.). Use commas (Yaz & Taz 1981, Ramirez 1983) to separate citations, BUT use semicolon for different types of citations (Fig. 4; Table 2) or with multiple dates per author (Yaz et al. 1982a, b; Taz 1990, 1991). Order references by year, then alphabetical (Azy 1980, Yaz 1980, Azy 1985). Assemble manuscripts in this order: Title page Abstract Key words Text Acknowledgments (spelled like this) Literature cited Tables Appendix (when applicable) Figure legends (one page) Figures For the review purpose, submit the entire manuscript, with Tables, Figure legends and Figures embedded at the end of the manuscript text, as a Microsoft Word for Windows document (*.doc), or equivalent for Mac or Linux. Do NOT submit papers as pdf files. Title Page (Do not number the title page) Running heads two lines below top of page. LRH: Yaz, Pirozki, and Peigh (may not exceed 50 characters or six author names; use Yaz et al.)
RRH: Seed Dispersal by Primates (use capitals; may not exceed 50 characters or six words) Complete title, flush left, near middle of page, Bold Type and Initial Caps, usually no more than 12 words. Where species names are given in the title it should be clear to general readers what type(s) of organism(s) are being referred to, either by using Family appellation or common name. For example: Invasion of African Savanna Woodlands by the Jellyfish tree Medusagyne oppositifolia, or Invasion of African Savanna Woodlands by Medusagyne oppositifolia (Medusagynaceae) Titles that include a geographic locality should make sure that this is clear to the general reader. For example: New Species of Hummingbird Discovered on Flores, Indonesia, and NOT New Species of Hummingbird Discovered on Flores. Below title, include author(s) name(s), affiliation(s), and unabbreviated complete address(es). Use superscript number(s) following author(s) name(s) to indicate current location(s) if different than above. In multi-authored papers, additional footnote superscripts may be used to indicate the corresponding author and e-mail address. Please refer to a current issue. At the bottom of the title page every article must include: Received ; revision accepted. (BIOTROPICA will fill in dates.) III. Abstract Page (Page 1) Abstracts should be concise (maximum of 250 words for papers and reviews; 75 words for Short Communications; no abstract for Commentary). Include brief statements about the intent, materials and methods, results, and significance of findings. Do not use abbreviations in the abstract. Authors are strongly encouraged to provide a second abstract in the language relevant to the country in which the research was conducted, and which will be published as Online Supplementary Materials. This second abstract should be submitted as a separate word file. Provide up to eight key words after the abstract, separated by a semi-colon (;). Key words should be listed alphabetically. Include location, if not already mentioned in the title. See style below. Key words should NOT repeat words used in the title. Authors should aim to provide informative key words avoid words that are too broad or too specific. Key words: Melastomataceae; Miconia argentea; seed dispersal; Panama; tropical wet forest. Alphabetized and key words in English only. IV. Text (Page 2, etc) See General Instructions above, or recent issue of BIOTROPICA (Section I). No heading for Introduction. First line or phrase of Introduction should be SMALL CAPS. Main headings are METHODS, RESULTS, and DISCUSSION: All CAPITALS and Bold. Flush left, one line. One line space between main heading and text Second level headings: SMALL CAPS, flush left, Capitalize first letter, begin sentence with em-dash, same line (e.g., INVENTORY TECHNIQUE. The ant inventory ). Use no more than second level headings. Do not use footnotes in this section. References to figures are in the form of Fig. 1, and tables as Table 1. Reference to Online Supplementary Material is as Fig. 1S or Table 1S.
V. Literature Cited (Continue page numbering and double spacing) No in prep. or submitted titles are acceptable; cite only articles published or in press. In press citations must be accepted for publication. Include journal or publisher. Verify all entries against original sources, especially journal titles, accents, diacritical marks, and spelling in languages other than English. Cite references in alphabetical order by first author's surname. References by a single author precede multi-authored works by the same senior author, regardless of date. List works by the same author chronologically, beginning with the earliest date of publication. Insert a period and space after each initial of an author's name; example: YAZ, A. B., AND B. AZY. 1980. Authors Names: use SMALL CAPS. Every reference should spell out author names as described above. BIOTROPICA no longer uses emdashes ( ) to substitute previously mentioned authors. Use journal name abbreviations (see http://www.bioscience.org/atlases/jourabbr/list.htm). If in doubt provide full journal name. Double-space. Hanging indent of 0.5 inch. Leave a space between volume and page numbers and do not include issue numbers. 27: 3 12 Article in books, use: AZY, B. 1982. Title of book chapter. In G. Yaz (Ed.). Book title, pp. 24 36. Blackwell Publications, Oxford, UK. Dissertations, use: PhD Dissertation and MSc Dissertation. VI. Tables (Continue page numbering) Each table must start on a separate page, double-spaced. The Table number should be in Arabic numerals followed by a period. Capitalize first word of title, double space the table caption. Caption should be italicized, except for words and species names that are normally in italics. Indicate footnotes by lowercase superscript letters ( a, b, c, etc.). Do not use vertical lines in tables. Ensure correct alignment of numbers and headings in the table (see current issues) VII. Figure Legends (Continue page numbering) Double-space legends. All legends on one page. Type figure legends in paragraph form, starting with FIGURE (uppercase) and number. Do not include exotic symbols (lines, dots, triangles, etc.) in figure legends; either label them in the figure or refer to them by name in the legend. Label multiple plots/images within one figure as A, B, C etc, as in FIGURE 1. Fitness of Medusagyne oppositifolia as indicated by (A) seed set and (B) seed viability, making sure to include the labels in the relevant plot. VIII. Preparation of Illustrations or Graphs Please consult http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/bauthor/illustration.asp for detailed information on submitting electronic artwork Black-and-white or half-tone (photographs), drawings, or graphs are all referred to as Figures in the text. Consult editor about color figures. Reproduction is virtually identical to what is submitted; flaws will not be corrected. Consult a recent issue of BIOTROPICA for examples.
If it is not possible to submit figures embedded within the text file, then submission as *.pdf, *.tif or *.eps files is permissible. Native file formats (Excel, DeltaGraph, SigmaPlot, etc.) cannot be used in production. When your manuscript is accepted for publication, for production purposes, authors will be asked upon acceptance of their papers to submit: Line artwork (vector graphics) as *.eps, with a resolution of < 300 dpi at final size Bitmap files (halftones or photographs) as *.tif or *.eps, with a resolution of < 300 dpi at final size Final figures will be reduced. Be sure that all text will be legible when reduced to the appropriate size. Use large legends and font sizes. We recommend using Arial font (and NOT Bold) for labels within figures. Do not use negative exponents in figures, including axis labels. Each plot/image grouped in a figure or plate requires a label (e.g., A, B). Use upper case letters on grouped figures, and in text references. Use high contrast for bar graphs. Solid black or white is preferred. IX. Short Communications (up to 2500 words) Title page should be formatted as with Papers (see above; RRH: Short Communications ) No section headings. Author(s) address follows literature cited. 1 figure or 1 table only (additional material can be published as Online Supplementary Material). X. Appendices We do NOT encourage the use of Appendices unless absolutely necessary. Appendices will be published as Online Supplementary Material in almost all cases. Appendices are appropriate for species lists, detailed technical methods, mathematical equations and models, or additional references from which data for figures or tables have been derived (e.g., in a review paper). If in doubt, contact the editor. Appendices must be referred to in the text, as Appendix 1S. Additional figures and tables may be published as OSM (as described above), but these should be referred to as Fig. 1S, Table 1S. Appendices should be submitted as a separate file. The editor reserves the right to move figures, tables and appendices to OSM from the printed text, but will discuss this with the corresponding author in each case. English Editorial Assistance Authors for whom English is a second language may choose to have their manuscript professionally edited before submission to improve the English and to prepare the manuscript in accordance with the journal style. Biotropica provides this service as the cost of US$ 25, - per hour. Please contact the Biotropica office at Biotropica@env.ethz.ch if you wish to make use of this service. The service is paid for by the author and use of a service does not guarantee acceptance or preference for publication. Manuscripts that are scientifically acceptable but require rewriting to improve clarity and to conform to the Biotropica style will be returned to authors with a provisional acceptance subject to rewriting. Authors of such papers may use the Biotropica editing service at the cost of US$ 25, - per hour for this purpose.
Most papers require between two to four hours, but this is dependent on the work required. Authors will always be contacted should there be any uncertainty about scientific meaning, and the edited version will be sent to authors for final approval before proceeding with publication. Questions? Please consult the online user s guide at Manuscript Central first before contacting the editorial office Phone: 0041 44 632 89 45 Editor's Phone: 0041 44 632 86 27 Fax: 0041 44 632 15 75 biotropica@env.ethz.ch Please use this address for all inquiries concerning manuscripts and editorial correspondence.